Public Speaking
Lecture Notes - Chapter Sixteen
Persuasion Defined
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persuasion is the process of changing or reinforcing a listener’s attitudes,
beliefs, values, or behavior
o attitudes are likes and dislikes
o beliefs are what you understand to be true or false
 beliefs are usually based on evidence, but we hold some on
faith (we have not directly experienced something, but we
believe anyway)
o a value is an enduring concept of right or wrong, good or bad
 if you value something, you think it is good or desirable and of
its opposite or absence as bad or wrong
 values form the basis of life goals and are the motivating factor
behind behaviors
 values are the most stable and the least likely to be able to be
changed
persuasive messages often attempt to do more than change or reinforce
attitudes – they may attempt to change behavior
How Persuasion Works
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ethos is a speaker’s credibility
o in order to be credible, a speaker should be ethical, have good
character, have common sense, and be concerned for the well-being of
the audience
o the more credible a speaker seems to be, the greater the chances that
the audience will believe in and positively respond to the message
logos literally means “the word,” but refers to the formal system of logic
(rules to reach a conclusion)
o a skilled persuader reaches a logical conclusion with evidence and
reasoning
pathos is the appeal to human emotion
o we sometimes hold attitudes, beliefs, and values that are not logical,
but because they make us feel good
 effective ways to appeal to listeners’ emotions include stories,
concrete examples, pictures, and music
motivation is the internal force that drives people to achieve their goals
ELM: A Contemporary Approach to Understanding Persuasion
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ELM, the elaboration-likelihood model of persuasion is the theory that
people can be persuaded by logic, evidence, and reasoning OR through a less
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rational route that depends on the credibility of the speaker, the sheer
number of arguments presented, or emotional appeals
to elaborate means to think about information, ideas, and issue related to
the content of the message
the direct persuasion route
o if you elaborate on a message, you will most likely be persuaded by
the logic, reasoning, arguments, and evidence presented to you
o you carefully consider the facts and then make a thoughtful decision
as to whether to believe or do what the speaker wants
the indirect persuasion route
o when you don’t elaborate on a message, you can be persuaded by such
factors as music or your positive reaction to the salesperson
o its not an evaluation of the logic, it’s the overall feeling that you get
about the product or salesperson
o you may be persuaded by:
 appearance of the speaker
 number of research studies in support
 use of an emotionally charged story
o it is the speaker’s credibility and use of emotional appeal that
persuade you
How to Motivate Listeners
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an audience is more likely to be persuaded if you help members solve their
problems or meet their needs
they can also be motivated if you convince them that good things will happen
if they follow your advice, or that bad things will occur if they don’t
o use dissonance
 cognitive dissonance is the sense of mental discomfort that
prompts a person to change when new information conflicts
with previously organized thought patterns
 in using dissonance, speakers have a responsibility to be
ethical
 claiming that a problem exists when it really doesn’t or
creating dissonance about a problem that is unlikely to
happen in unethical
 how listener’s cope with dissonance
 discredit the source
 reinterpret the message (hear what they want to hear)
 seek new information
 stop listening
 change their attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior
o use listener needs
 need is one of the best motivators
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the more you understand listeners’ needs, the more you
can ultimately get them to do what you want
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that there is an order of
needs that motivate peoples’ behaviors – in this order!
 physiological needs (air, water, food)
 safety needs (we all need to feel safe)
 social needs (we all need to feel loved and valued)
 self-esteem needs (we all desire to think well of
ourselves
 self-actualization needs (the need to achieve one’s
highest potential)
o use positive motivation
 emphasize positive values
 most people value a comfortable, prosperous life;
stimulating, exciting activity; a sense of
accomplishment; world, community, and personal
peace; and happiness
 emphasize benefits, not just features
 benefits are good results or things that create a positive
emotional response in the listener
 features are characteristics of something you are
describing
o use negative motivation
 a strong threat to a loved one is more successful than directed
at audience members themselves
 the more competent, trustworthy, or respected the speaker,
the greater the likelihood that the appeal will be successful
 fear appeals are more successful if you can convince your
listeners that the threat is real
 increasing the intensity of the fear increases the chances that
the it will be successful
 fear appeals are more successful if you can convince your
listeners that they have the power to make a change that will
reduce the threat
How to Develop Your Persuasive Speech
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consider the audience
o diversity
 an effective communicator is especially sensitive to cultural
differences between himself or herself and the audience, while
at the same time being cautious not to make stereotypical
assumptions about an audience based on only cultural factors
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o ethical responsibilities
 adapting to your listeners does not mean that you only tell
them what they want to hear, it means developing an ethical
message that they will listen to thoughtfully
select and narrow your persuasive topic
o controversial issues make great persuasive topics
o know the local, state, national, and international issues that interest
your listeners
o pay attention to the media and internet to stay current on important
issues
determine your persuasive purpose
o when your goal is to persuade, you’ve already decided on a general
purpose, but you still must develop a specific purpose
o people rarely make major life changes after one short speech
o the social judgment theory categorizes listener responses to a
persuasive message
 latitude of acceptance – audience generally agrees
 latitude of rejection – audience generally disagrees
 latitude of noncommitment – audience does not know how to
respond
Develop Your Central Idea and Main Ideas
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when persuading others, most speakers find it useful to state their central
idea in the form of a proposition
a proposition is a statement with which you want your audience to agree
o proposition of fact focuses on whether something is true of false or
whether it did or did not happen
o proposition of value calls for the listener to judge the worth or
importance of something
o proposition of policy advocates a specific action – changing a policy,
procedure, or behavior
Putting Persuasive Principles into Practice
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audience members’ attitudes, beliefs, and values help predict how they will
respond to a persuasive message
o when persuading an audience, it is important to have an accurate
understanding of their likes and dislikes, beliefs about what is true or
false, and perceptions of good and bad
audience members are motivated to avoid dissonance, to make sure their
needs are met, to do things that give them pleasure, and to avoid things that
create pain
o develop persuasive messages that help listeners avoid inconsistent
feelings or dissonant feelings
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fear appeals, ethically used, can motivate your listeners to take action
o when using fear appeals, you have an ethical responsibility to make
sure that the threat to listeners’ well-being is an actual one